Why go to Meghalaya’s Mawlynnong to see a clean village when one of Maharashtra’s cleanest and smartest villages — Adachiwadi — is just 250 km away? This hamlet with 1500 residents shows all it takes is good intentions and willpower to bring in clean roads and water, free WiFi, solar power and more
These clean roads in Adachiwadi village are a sight for sore eyes. Villagers deep-clean all public spaces every week. PICS/SATEJ SHINDE
Just about 250 km from Mumbai, tucked away in Purandar taluka of Pune district, lies Adachiwadi, a tiny village that is proving how collective will and community participation can transform rural India. So much so that it even earned recognition as one of Maharashtra’s cleanest and smartest villages from Eknath Shinde when he was Chief Minister in 2024. And, just like Meghalaya’s Mawlynnong — known as Asia’s cleanest village — Adachiwadi’s residents now plan to use all their hard work to turn their economy around with tourism.
Shivaji Parbhati Pawar demonstrates how well water is filtered and dispensed through a smart meter that charges Rs 1 for every five litres
Unlike many villages that struggle with basic infrastructure, Adachiwadi stands out for its planning and foresight. On spending a day in the village, Sunday mid-day’s scribe has found that the achievements of the village are not the result of large external funding or complex technology alone. Instead, they stem from strong leadership, community participation, and a shared vision of a better future. In this hamlet that is home to barely 1500 people across 179 families, decisions are discussed collectively, responsibilities are shared, and success belongs to everyone.
From deep cleaning the village every weekend, to a smart water filtration and dispensal system, to converting households and public spaces to solar power, this village is truly clean. In fact, the village is all set to go 100 per cent solar powered by March. Of 179 houses, 68 now completely run on solar energy. “The money for the rest of the 111 houses has already been paid to the company, and they are installing the panels periodically. By March, we are confident the entire village will run on solar completely,” says Mayur Nandkumar Pawar.
In a trajectory similar to the plot of Swades, the IT professional turned away from posh jobs in the big city, opting for a work-from-home role instead so he could stay in Adachiwadi. He is now among a group of young people who seek to bring the village into the future.
“Even our common areas such as the gym, lights in the cremation ground, and panchayat office are solar-powered,” he adds. The company charges Rs 60,000 per kilowatt of power generating capacity. While each household has made a one-time payment of Rs 30,000, government subsidies covered the other half, Mayur explains.
Rani Appaso Pawar is among many villagers who depends on fig farming for their livelihood
Not every village is blessed with abundant clean drinking water. In Adachiwadi, not only is water behind the name of the village, but the residents have also figured out a system to ensure clean potable water supply for all.
The oldest person alive in the village, 93-year-old Dnyaneshwar Maruti Pawar recalls how the village came to be named so: “We had a big 130-year-old vihir [well] in the corner [translates to adachi] of the village; this was once our only source of water. Thus, the village came to be called Adachi vihir asleli wadi [village with a well in the corner], which was later shortened to Adachiwadi.”
Villagers have now diverted this well water to a smart water purifier. “Anyone can fill this filtered water after tapping a smart card that every family has. Each tap of the card deducts R1 and gives five litres of water,” explains Mayur, “This way, there is no wastage of water. Since money is cut — even if a tiny amount — people fill their buckets wisely. This money is collected by Gram Panchayat and officials use it for the maintenance of the purifier.”
Tourists are also expected to maintain the same respect for cleanliness; Villagers have pinned the location of all garbage bins in Adachiwadi on Google Maps (right) to prevent littering
The quantity of water saved is so high that at times, when adjacent villages have faced trouble, Adachiwadi has supported them with as much as 75,000 litres of water per day.
The village wasn’t always known as Adachiwadi, however. When it strikes this reporter that apart from two families, everyone is a Pawar here, another resident, Shivaji Parbhati Pawar, 62, shares, “Many decades ago, a few Pawar families — not related to each other — settled here. Back then, our hamlet was known as Pawaranchi wadi.”
As for the two families that are not Pawars, he adds, “Long ago, when the village was getting established, the villagers needed guravs [priest caste found primarily in Maharashtra, specialising in the worship of Shiva temples]. Some land was given to these families to construct their homes and they were expected to do pooja of our gramdaivat [village deity] at the Kaalbharavnath temple.”
Inviting the guravs to join their village and carry out temple duties was a nod to well-intentioned and harmless traditions, emphasise the villagers. They have been careful not to let caste get in the way of harmony, however. “There are a total of 12 wadis in this district,” says Shivaji, “Ours is the only one with a near-total Maratha Pawar population. Despite that, all the names of the roads are of warriors and great men from all sub-castes.”
The two non-Pawar families take just as much pride in their village. Among them is Sandesh Shirke, whose love for Adachiwadi holds strong even generations after his grandfather moved out for work. “My family is based in the Konkan region, but my roots are with the Shirke family that still lives in this village,” says Sandesh, the resident deputy collector in Raigad district.
Mayur Nandkumar Pawar
Though he was never posted in his native village, he is the brain behind the development works in Adachiwadi. “If one uses his power, position, and contacts with good intentions and honesty, no one can stop development,” he says. “What’s the use of such a high post in the public service sector if I cannot put it to use for my own public? Of course, there is support from the current officials too.”
Sandesh Shirke (in dark blue) holds one of the village’s monthly meetings to discuss development projects. Pic/By Special Arrangement
The villagers were sceptical in the beginning. “Initially, there was resistance to any idea that I pitched. Like any other official, they believed I must have some hidden interest,” he recalls. But his work spoke for him. After he raised funds to build additional classrooms for school students studying under the scorching sun, the residents began to trust him.
Bhausaheb Bhongale
“The trust further strengthened when I promised that neither I nor any of my family members would contest any elections; this confirmed that I wasn’t doing this for any political aspirations. The only thought that I have always had is ‘Apan aplya gavacha, jyane aaplyala astithvath anla, tyacha kahitari dena lagto’ [we should give back to the village that brought us into existence],” shares the DC.
Rs 6.5-crore eco-tourism plan
Just as Mawlynnong in Meghalaya made clean living a tourist attraction, Adachiwadi too hopes to bring in more prosperity for its residents through eco-tourism. Already, the village is a pitstop for warkaris’ annual walking pilgrimage to and from Pandharpur. The warkaris prefer to stop here precisely because the village is clean. Sant Dnyaneshwar’s palkhi also stops here. In addition, the village is less than 20 minutes away from the famed Khandoba temple in Jejuri. Adachiwadi residents have now submitted a R6.5-crore eco-tourism plan to state environment minister Ganesh Naik, which includes plans for:
>> A forest garden
>> Training women and youngsters as tourist guides
>> Homestay/accommodation for Jejuri visitors
>> Agro-tourism
Farming for livelihood
Anjeer (fig) cultivation is the main source of income in this village. Each family here cultivates figs and exports almost 30-40 tonnes per month. “Our anjeer has a GI tag, and even though each family cultivates the same crop, no one faces losses,” says Sunita Suhas Pawar. A few villagers also cultivate onions, jowar, and raise poultry. “We grow vegetables such as brinjal, beans, garlic, harbhara, and onions, as well as jowar and bajra crops. We grow 85 per cent of what we need for. Just a few ration items, such as oil, are bought from outside the village. Even the milk and meat we consume is produced here,” says villager Mayur Pawar.
Evening study hour at cremation ground
Children study during post-school hours at the village cremation ground
An unusual custom at this village is students going for extra classes at the cremation ground. While they all attend the local school and use tablets there, this ground is used for their after-school studies. “It’s our duty as educated elders of the village to break the bad chain of superstitions,” says Anil Pawar, a retired English teacher who dedicates two hours daily to guide students. “In one of our monthly meetings, we discussed where the children could study post school hours. Evenings are the only time when their parents get some free time to watch TV, so their homes were not an option. We collectively decided on the cremation ground, as it is big enough and has pin-drop silence. And it has been over three months now that the children are happily studying there.”
Future plans
The village is now setting up a biogas plant that will provide fuel for domestic purposes. Villagers are also establishing a waste water treatment plant where waste water from the village will be treated and made usable for agricultural purposes. Meanwhile, a study room and an e-library is being constructed above the Gram Panchayat Office where students preparing for competitive exams can study. Pipes for water connections are also laid to establish one more smart water purifier.
No crime here
The village has managed to maintain a zero per cent crime rate for at least the past decade. “There are barely even any quarrels here; whatever happens, we solve it among ourselves,” says resident Mayur Pawar, adding that they have also installed 46 CCTV cameras across the village. Constable Bhausaheb Bhongale of Walhe police station confirms, “In the last three years of my tenure, I haven’t seen any complaint or fight in this village. Those who worked here before me told me the same.”
Other interesting facts
>> This village has an open and free public WiFi set-up
>> Each family can only construct a single house. The remaining land in the village is used for various community facilities
>> With CSR funding, the village has also set up a gym with advanced equipment. A nominal monthly fee of R300 is collected for gym’s maintenance
>> The village has a Nana-Nani Park as well
First village with concrete road
In September 2025, the village became the first in Maharashtra to convert a soil pathway (paayvaat) into a concrete road. “We constructed it using CSR funds from one of the biggest tycoons of the country, and named it Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Concrete Road,” says villager Mayur Nandkumar Pawar. “This road was also cited by then CM and now deputy CM Eknath Shinde when he pushed for concretisation of the state’s roads. He had said that if a kaccha path can be converted into a concrete road, then a tar road can definitely be converted too,” Mayur shares, adding that all 15 roads in the village are now being concretised.
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